Gidget
by Bringer of the Tide
Summary: Dr. McCoy never really liked dogs, but Kirk never really cared. Rated T for some bad language and implied pairings to come later.


Okay, this is my first serious Star Trek fic. Well, at least the first one that worked out. This all started last winter on vacation with my friend. I had recently borrowed the whole Original Series from my stepdad to re watch them, and we had been watching them together. So, we went on vacation, and while there, we were there, we were charged with puppysitting. We started to discuss, and well. This happened. Enjoy.

* * *

Star Date- Unknown

Denver, Colorado

Some cabin in the Rockies.

The newspaper lowered slowly, and the look on McCoy's face was one of a man trying to be patient, but knowing that trouble was coming. His icy blue eyes rose gradually to rest expectantly on the countenance of his closest friend, for lack of a better way to describe him. The young man was staring back cheerily, bouncing on his heels as if quite pleased with himself. The doctor's mouth drew into a tight line as he continued to stare, but no explanation for the drooling thing that had just materialized in his lap came.

"Jim?" he prompted in a falsely calm tone, already throttling the youth in his mind.

"Yep?" Kirk replied, still bouncing on his heels, hands clasped behind his back. McCoy sighed. The explanation would have to be forced.

"I got a few questions, if ya don't mind answerin' me." Kirk nodded all too happily. McCoy's patience evaporated and he gestured to the thing now gnawing on his jacket.

"What the hell is this, why is it sittin' on me, and why do I have a funny feelin' somethin' bad's about to happen?"

"Well, Bones, to answer respectively, I thought even someone like you might know that that is a puppy. Well, more specifically, it's a Husky. I put it there because you're going to watch it while I go and attend some business. And thirdly, don't worry so much, for once. Nothing bad is going to happen."

"...Jim, I think you oughter know somethin'. I dunno if you got the memo, but I am a doctor, not a babysitter." McCoy took the puppy and set it on the ground.

"Oh, you love animals." Kirk argued, backing up a few steps.

"Sure, but that don't mean I want to spend extensive time with 'em."

"Well...yeah, sorry about that. But I gotta go. Should be back tonight. Tomorrow at the latest, bye." He slipped past the doctor quickly and hurried out the door, slamming it behind him.

"Hey,are you outta your country fried mind?! Come back here!" McCoy demanded, glaring at the closed door. He looked down at the sound of the tiny animal growling and trying to tug at his shoe. He picked it up by the scruff and stared at it. It looked to be about three months old, and was a tawny-red and white colour. It cocked its little head and barked at him. He slowly raised an eyebrow at it.

"Don't you bark at me."

It barked again, seemingly to spite him.

"Like hell am I puttin' up with this fer a whole day." he decided, tucking the dog under his arm and heading off in search of another crewmember on Shore leave to dump the dog on. Spotting Lt. Uhura, he approached her with as charming a smile as he could manage.

"Afternoon, Lieutenant." he said pleasantly. She stared at him, as if suspecting something awry. Beginning to feel uncomfortable, he cleared his throat.

"I've got a small problem here. I was wonderin' if you'd be willin' ta help me fix it." He explained.

"What is it, doctor?" Uhura asked, seemingly in a hurry to get somewhere.

"Wull, see here, I got this dog, and-"

"I'm sorry, Dr. McCoy. I'm allergic to dogs." She shook her head and started away. He frowned after her.

"Damn...I knew that..." he muttered, furrowing his brow in thought. Giving the dog to Sulu was definitely not a good idea. Who else was there? None of the other Science Officers were planet side. Most of the Engineering crew was still up there, too. Engineering, that was it.

"I got an idea, gidget." he said to the dog, trotting off down the hall. Now, if only he could find Scotty, he thought to himself, a pleased smile spreading over his face. McCoy could get Scotty to do anything. All it took was the right kind of...persuasion.

"There y'are, sugar." he purred in a venomously sweet tone, approaching the Chief Engineer from behind. The young man turned with a quick, pleasant smile.  
"This is a nice surprise, now." he commented in his thick Auberdeen brogue.

"I dinnae think ye'd actually come t'see me down 'ere."

McCoy shrugged a little dismissively.

"I been tryin' ta find a little time...But hey, listen here. I got a tiny problem needs some fixin', and I was hopin' maybe you could help me out with it, honey?" He kept his attitude casually neutral, glancing around nonchalantly. Scotty raised his brow at him.

"That really depends on what it is...er..._sweetheart._"

McCoy held the dog up by the scruff.

"I been voluntold to puppysit gidget here." he explained,handing the dog to the Engineer. Scotty stared at the dog, then back at McCoy.

"There ain't no way in hell. No way." he protested. McCoy leaned all too casually up against the doorframe.

"You wouldn't even do it for me...?" he wheedled innocently.

"No, I have a funny feelin' I wouldn't."

"Don't be like that, now. I only need you ta do it for a couple hours." McCoy tried to persuade him, giving a smile he reserved only for Scotty. The Scotsman shook his head, not buying it. He simply reached over and unzipped the Doctor's jacket, stuffing the puppy inside.

"I hate dogs." he said with finality. The puppy wriggled unhappily and poked his head out, trying to escape. McCoy's face fell flat as he pulled the dog out.

"Boy, I hope you really hate dogs, cause you gonna be awfully lonely in that big ole engine room for at least two months afore I decide I like you again..." he grunted annoyedly, stalking off, puppy and all.

"What do I do with you?!" he demanded, staring at the dog as he wandered. There was no one left that could-or would take the dog from him. The puppy squirmed and yipped uncomfortably as he thought, biting and wriggling to get down. The Doctor was considering just giving the little annoyance to a complete stranger when his last hope came into view. He walked up quietly behind the boy who was just sitting innocently, and deposited the dog into his lap.

Chekov jumped startledly, looking around wildly until his gaze rested on Dr. McCoy. He wordlessly looked at the animal in his lap, back at McCoy, then back to the dog. He paused for a moment, then let out a delighted sound and hugged it.

"Puppy!" he cried, cuddling it to his chest. McCoy sighed.

"Thank heavens, you like dogs." he muttered.

"Da!" Chekov replied in an enthusiastic tone, beaming first at the doctor, then the puppy. Then he looked confused.

"But, Doktor. Vhere you find ze puppy?" he asked, staring at him expectantly.

"Oh. Well...I sorta got voluntold into watchin' it. I ain't too good with dogs, so I was lookin' fer someone ta help me with it."

"I vill help, Doktor!" the Ensign offered happily, letting the puppy go so it could run around the room.

"I hoped you'd say that. You any good with dogs?" McCoy asked, leaning against the wall, watching the Husky puppy tromp around the room. Chekov shrugged.

"I do not know. I newer had a dog before."

McCoy scratched his head.

"Cain't be that hard." he muttered.

"Is not hard." Chekov agreed, trying to entice the dog to play with one of his shoes.

"I sink you just play vith dog, it go to sleep." he reasoned. The dog latched onto his shoe, growling and tugging as he dragged it around.

"Vhat ees his name?"

McCoy shrugged.

"Oh. I dunno, he didn't tell me." he answered, staring down at the little dog.

"Vell, it must be called somesink. Vhat you call him?" he threw the shoe across the room, and the puppy hopped over and retrieved it, dragging it back.

"Just gidget..."

"Vhell, Ve call him gidget, zhen." the boy decided, taking his shoe and throwing it again.

"Hope it don't already have a name, then." McCoy said to himself, watching the dog bring the shoe back to the young Navigator, then stop and waddle around, sniffing.

"Think it might have to pee?" The doctor inquired after a moment of watching the animal. Chekov nodded and put his shoe back on his foot.  
"Da, ve better take heem outside."

With that he scooped the puppy up and trotted dutifully out of the room. McCoy followed, hands shoved in his pockets. It was cold enough as it was, and he was not looking forward to going outside.

"Oh, lookit that." he observed dryly.

"It's snowing."

"You do not like ze snow, doktor?" Chekov asked, wide eyed as he stared up at him. McCoy let out a huff of air, watching it cloud against the stark green and white of the snow covered pines. The puppy wriggled in the doorway, hopping about happily.

"I just don't like bein' too cold." McCoy answered.

"Now, you go pee." he ordered the dog, who simply ran about in the snow like the happy puppy he was. Chekov crossed his arms and frowned.

"I do not sink he ees doing it right." he observed.

"...Of course he ain't, he's just runnin' around..." McCoy said, shooting the teen a skeptical look.

"I know zhat. Eet vas a joke."

"...I can never tell with you...Hey, dog! Come here!" McCoy called, pointing down at his feet. The puppy looked over at him for a moment, then barked and ignored him. McCoy sighed and trudged over to him, scooping him up.

"Look here, doggy. We came out here cause you were doin' your little potty dance, and it's cold. So go pee." he said, setting him down by a tree. Gidget sniffed around the trunk of the tree for a few moments, then looked up at McCoy, who gestured at the tree's roots.

"Go ahead. little feller."

Gidget stared at him, then growled and trounced off.

"Hey!" McCoy protested, stomping his foot angrily.

"Come on now! Git back here!" he demanded after the dog, kicking the snow rather bad-temperedly.

"Maybe you hawe to show heem how to do eet?" Chekov suggested, staring after the dog.

"....you have got to be kidding me. That's the dumbest thing I have ever heard, and I'm not about to do it."

"Eet vas just a suggestion." Chekov shrugged, giving him a sidelong glance.

"...I'm not doing it." McCoy insisted. Chekov bent to scoop up the dog as he ran past.

"I heard you ze first time. Ve just go back inside and vait for tventy minutes, and zhen try again." He suggested, turning to go back inside. McCoy shrugged, although he did not enjoy the prospect of having to come back outside so soon.

"He better have to go then." he muttered, shutting the door behind him. Chekov set him down on the floor, where he stood and shivered slightly.

"He looks cold." Chekov frowned.

"Prolly is..." McCoy sighed and lifted the dog, stuffing him into his jacket as Scotty had done earlier. Gidget turned and tried to lick his face, but McCoy stuffed the dog's head down into his jacket.

"None of that." he said flatly, zipping himself up. The puppy wriggled his head out and looked around, shivering against McCoy.

"You're colder than I thought, doggy." McCoy frowned. A shiver ran through his own body from the cold that the small puppy eminated. Gidget sighed and leaned against him, resting his head on the Doctor's shoulder and closing his eyes.

"Looks like he got tired runnin' around out there." McCoy muttered, staring down at the fuzzy brown animal as he wriggled around to try and get comfortable. He finally settled down a while later and seemed to have drifted off to sleep.

"I sink maybe vhe try again?" Chekov offered. McCoy narrowed his eyes, lips pursed.

"It just sorta figgers you'd say that as soon as the little monster stops stealin' my body heat and goes to sleep..." he muttered, turning to head for the door again nonetheless. Chekov simply offered an apologetic smile and held the door open.

"Okay, Gidget." McCoy sighed, pulling the disoriented Husky from his warm sanctuary.

"Go do yer thang. Otherwise I'm gonna sell ya to a family of Koreans." he threatened, setting the puppy down. Chekov frowned, watching Gidget yawn, stretch, and look around.

"I don't get eet, Doktor." he said, looking to McCoy confusedly. The Doctor gave him a deadpan stare and shook his head.

"Nevermind." He looked back over to the dog, who was sitting in the snow and staring at him.

"Come on, I know you gotta pee." he growled, kicking snow at Gidget. The puppy seemed to take this as an invitation to play and growled, snapping at the snow.

"No. I ain't gonna play with you, go pee." McCoy ordered firmly, pointing out into the snow. Gidget, it seemed, had absolutely no interest in following the doctor's orders, and ran off to chase a fat grey squirrel that he had spotted. This action only seemed to make McCoy angrier.

"Oh, Goddamn it." He grunted, bolting off after the dog. Chekov watched, half interestedly and half amusedly, as McCoy zipped right past the pup and scooped him up like a Shortstop might intercept a grounder. He stopped with surprising grace for a man his age and turned, tucking Gidget neatly under his arm as he marched back onto the snow-crusted porch. He walked right past Chekov and down the side steps just as Scotty chose to appear through the doorway. the Engineer sidled up to Chekov and asked quietly.

"He havin' fun with that dog?"

"I do not sink so, meester Scott." Chekov frowned, shaking his head.

"Zhe dog ees just teeking heem off. More zhen usual." He looked at the doctor, who was marching over to a tree with the dog in tow, then glanced back at Scotty, mildly alarmed.

"Oh, aye. That's an accomplishment for a wee little animal. What's he doin'?" Scotty sounded more amused that the dog irked his lover than genuinely curious as to what he was up to.

"He ees trying to get zhe dog to go to zhe bathroom." The younger man said, watching as McCoy set Gidget down next to the tree.

"Go pee." he ordered, pointing insistently at the tree. Gidget looked at him indignantly and barked. Now, if the doctor could look any angrier than he normally did, none of the crew knew it, but sure enough, then and there, the look on his face would have made Mr. Spock himself uncomfortable. Furious, and unable to even think of a way to respond to the irksome little animal, Leonard McCoy stomped his foot and barked back at the dog. The look on Chekov's face went from alarmed to infinitely confused. Scotty's face screwed up as he bit his lip and tried to keep himself from outright pointing and laughing uproariously at the frustrated doctor's juvenile behaviour. Gidget jumped back, surprised, and stared at the doctor with wide eyes. The air remained silent for about thirty seconds, as neither doctor nor dog could really think of what to do net. Then, deciding that McCoy had chosen the wrong response, Gidget puffed up and tried to look as big as a puppy could, then barked, loud and defiant, at McCoy.

"Ya goddang little monster!" McCoy took a threatening step forward, trying to get the dog to give ground and submit. Instead, headstrong little Gidget charged the doctor, slamming himself into his legs to trip him.

"Hey!" McCoy protested, losing his balance and dropping unceremoniously into the snow. Gidget barked gleefully and bounded away. This was all Scotty needed to start laughing aloud, causing the Doctor to raise his gaze to find the source of the new disruption. It seemed seeing Scotty only added to his discontent, and the fact that the young man was laughing unashamedly at him just pissed him off more. In response to the Scotsman's rather rude reaction to his misfortune, the doctor calmly packed some snow around a nice sized rock and hurled it at his head. Chekov quickly hopped out of the way, seemingly just overcoming his surprised state. Scotty had been laughing too hard to stop as the projectile hit exactly where McCoy had aimed it, so his response did little to help ease the doctor's bad mood.

"Hey! That hurt!" he exclaimed, still laughing at McCoy. the elder man glared at him and shoved the auburn hair from his eyes, responding with an obscene hand gesture.

Never one to take things too seriously, especially when McCoy was angry with him, Scotty began to laugh anew at him.

"I dunnae wanna start anythin' out here, 's too cold!" he giggled delightedly.

"So, no thank you, unless ye'd like ta come back inside-"

"Why don't you march your ass right over here and I'll shove a snowman down yer pants?!" McCoy shouted at him furiously, hurling more snow towards him. Chekov shot Scotty a glance as he continued to giggle at the disheveled, wet doctor.

"Ay yi yi." the teen sighed, trotting away to help McCoy up. He huffed angrily at Scotty as he took the offered hand and pulled himself out of the snow. His face was flat as he reached down and plucked Gidget out of the snow as he ran by, handing him to Chekov.

"Watch him." he muttered, stalking toward the door.

"Vhere are you going?" Chekov asked, taking the dog.

"I'll be back. I'm gonna get on some dry clothes." he grunted.

"I'm gonna kill you." he added darkly, scowling at Scotty.

"I don't doubt it, laddie!" The Engineer offered cheerfully as the Doctor stomped past him and disappeared inside.


End file.
